View/Open

Date

Author

Metadata

Abstract

In Japan, fantastic beings have been featured in countless stories, belonging to both popular and elite culture, from the beginnings of literature in the eighth century to the present day. They have illustrated the desires, the fears and the different world visions of the Japanese people across the centuries. The goal of this article is to discuss some of the most popular fantastic characters belonging to Japanese literature and cinema, who have successfully crossed cultural boundaries and won their own space in the cultural representations of the western world.